Document holder

ABSTRACT

A generally rectangular document holder comprising a pair of flexible film-like transparent sheets fixed along opposite sides to a pair of elongated magnetic strips. The document holder will receive and retain a document such as an automobile registration to permit displaying the document in a suitable location within the automobile.

United States Patent Smith 1 1 Oct. 17, 1972 DOCUMENT HOLDER 2,338,172 l/l944 Firks ..40/l5$ 72 [memo 1 Th 3 R. S h N t ,1 2,825,160 3/1958 Mellor et a1 40/10 R l 1 r s cw 3,425,147 2/1969 Marx ..40/155 Asslgneel yr m n Newton. lowa 3,606,507 9/1971 Williams .40/10 R X [22] Filed: Feh 8,197] 3,237,327 3/1966 Griggs ..40l10 R [21 Appl. No.: 113,260 Primary Examiner-Robert W. Michell Assistant Examiner-Wenceslao J. Contreras 52] us. Cl. ..40/10 R, 40/155, 40/142 A ward [5 l] III-ll. Cl ..G09f 3/18 57 ABSTRACT [58] Field oiSearch....40/10,10A,l0B,129C,142A,

40H 55 A generally rectangular document holder comprising a pair of flexible film-like transparent sheets fixed along 56 opposite sides to a pair of elongated magnetic strips. 1 References cued The document holder will receive and retain a docu- UNITED STATES PATENTS ment such as an automobile registration to permit displaying the document in a suitable location within the 1,481,120 l/l924 Brombosz .40/l55 automobna 2,280,907 4/1942 Fink ..40/l55 4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures IS IO Z l 1 L I l l 20 I L g .1

PATENTEDUCI 11 I972 THOMAS R. SMITH I NVENTOR Wage/M0 AGENT DOCUMENT HOLDER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION tomobile registration have included a case having a transparent member assembled with stitching and held in a selected location by a clip, a spring, or adhesive strips. All of the prior art document holders have serious disadvantages or limitations because of inconveniences associated with using and holding the registration in an automobile.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the instant invention to provide an improved display holder for a document.

It is a further object to provide an improved document holder including magnetic side strips for maintaining the document holder in a selected display position.

It is a further object of the instant invention to provide an improved document holder including a pair of transparent sheets forming a pocket and further including magnetic side strips so that the holder is reversible and may be held in a selected display position on a metallic member.

The instant invention achieves these objects in a document holder comprising two sheets of flexible material, at least one of which is transparent, and further comprising a pair of magnetic strips at opposite sides of the sheets.

Construction of the device and further objects and advantages thereof will become evident as the description proceeds and from an examination of the accompanying sheet of drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The drawings illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention with similar numerals referring to similar parts throughout the several views wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a face of the document holder comprising the instant invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the document holder as taken along lines 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a framentary sectional view of an alternate construction for a document holder; and

FIG. 4 is another alternate construction for a document holder.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown what may be considered a face view of a generally rectangular document holder 10. Referring also to FIG. 2, it is seen that the document holder 10 comprises two sheets 13 and 14 of transparent film-like plastic material such as Mylar" or other suitable transparent flexible plastic and a pair of elongated edge strips 15 and 16 along the opposite and generally parallel top 19 and bottom 20 of the rectangular sheets 13 and 14.

The sheets of transparent plastic 13 and 14 are flexible but are generally self supporting in the size used in the document holder disclosed. The two sheets, as shown in FIG. 1 and 2, have a generally superimposed contiguous relationship and will frictionally retain a document, such as indicated by broken line 21 in FIG. 1, in a relatively fixed position once inserted between the sheets 13 and 14. The edge strips 15 and 16 may be manually moved toward each other to separate or spring open the two sheets 13 and 14 and permit insertion of the document 21 from one of the ends 23 or 24.

The edge strips 15 and 16 may be somewhat flexible and be formed of a magnetic material such as an extruded magnetic elastomeric material. Each of the edge strips 15 and 16 include a groove or recess 25 along one side to receive the edge 19 or 20 of the pair of sheets 13 and 14 in a tongue and groove construction. Each of the opposite edges 19 and 20 of the two sheets 13 and 14 may be retained in the respective grooves in a fixed relationship by the use of adhesive. One of the edges of one of the sheets 13 and 14, however, could be left unglued to permit the opening of the one sheet, such as front sheet 13, for the insertion of the document from the front instead of the ends 23 or 24 of the holder 10 as previously indicated.

The use of magnetic strips 15 and 16 along the edges of the holder 10 permits a simple low cost construction that is both attractive and convenient in use. The flexible sheets 13 and 14 will bend around an automobile steering column, for example, and the magnetic strips 15 and 16 will mount the holder 10 in the selected position. The flexible sheets 13 and 14, in cooperation with the magnetic strips 15 and 16, will also permit use of the holder 10 on the dash ledge. The absence of clips, springs, and adhesive permit easy and convenient removal of the holder 10 for reference to the document. The magnetic strips 15 and 16 will not wear out from use as will clips, springs, or adhesive strips. The use of transparent material for both of the sheets 13 and 14 permits the holder 10 to be reversible for use of either side or for use of both sides for viewing the front and back of a document. Furthermore. an additional sheet can be added to provide separate pockets for two or more documents.

Alternate constructions for a document holder are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The two sheets of transparent material 29 and 30 may be secured in a sandwich type construction to the side or sides of an edge strip 31 of magnetic material with adhesive as in FIG. 3. Or a pair of sheets 33 and 34 may be secured to the magnetic strip 35 with staples 36 as in FIG. 4. In each of these constructions the transparent sheets 29 and 30 or 33 and 34 will bend to at least partially confonn to a selected metallic surface or component and the magnetic strips 31 or 35 will retain them thereon.

In the foregoing drawings and specification, there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and although specific terms are employed, these are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Changes in form and the proportion of parts as well as the substitution of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention.

Iclaim:

l. A document holder, comprising: at least two sheets of flexible, self-supporting, film-like material at least one of which is transparent plastic, said sheets being superimposed one on the other in a generally contiguous relationship and collectively having a pair of opposite edges generally parallel to each other, a pair of elongated strips of magnetic material each havin g a recess longitudinally formed therein of a width approximately the combined thickness of said sheets of filrn-lik e material for receiving one of said pair of opposite edges in a mating tongue and groove connection, and means for fixing each of said opposite edges in the recess of the mating elongated strip, said sheets of material being responsive to manual manipulation for flexing open and separating one sheet from the other at a generally central position between said opposite edges to form an open-ended document-receiving pocket between the sheets, said sheets being responsive to the releasing of force thereon for returning to the su' perimposed generally contiguous relationship to frictionally retain a document therebetween.

2. A document holder, comprising: at least two sheets of flexible self-supporting, film-like material at least one of which is transparent plastic, said sheets being superimposed one on the other in a generally contiguous relationship and collectively having a pair of opposite edges generally parallel to each other, a

pair of elongated strips of magnetic material each having a recess longitudinally formed therein of a width approximately the combined thickness of said sheets of film-like material for receiving one of said pair of opposite edges in a mating tongue and groove connection, and means for fixing each of said opposite edges in the recess of the mating elongated strip, said sheets of material being responsive to the application of manually applied transversely directed force on the elongated strips in the general plane of the sheets of material for springing open and separating one sheet from the other at a generally central position between said opposite edges to form an open-ended documentreceiving pocket between the sheets, said sheets being responsive to the releasing of the force on said strips for returning to the superimposed generally contiguous relationship to frictionally retain a document therebetween.

3. A document holder as defined in claim 2 wherein said magnetic strips are formed of flexible magnetic material for forming and holding said document holder to an arcuate surface.

4. A document holder as defined in claim 2 wherein said two sheets of transparent plastic material are placed back-to-baclt to form a reversible document holder.

i i F I i 

1. A document holder, comprising: at least two sheets of flexible, self-supporting, film-like material at least one of which is transparent plastic, said sheets being superimposed one on the other in a generally contiguous relationship and collectively having a pair of opposite edges generally parallel to each other, a pair of elongated strips of magnetic material each having a recess longitudinally formed therein of a width approximately the combined thickness of said sheets of film-like material for receiving one of said pair of opposite edges in a mating tongue and groove connection, and means for fixing each of said opposite edges in the recess of the mating elongated strip, said sheets of material being responsive to manual manipulation for flexing open and separating one sheet from the other at a generally central position between said opposite edges to form an open-ended dOcument-receiving pocket between the sheets, said sheets being responsive to the releasing of force thereon for returning to the superimposed generally contiguous relationship to frictionally retain a document therebetween.
 2. A document holder, comprising: at least two sheets of flexible self-supporting, film-like material at least one of which is transparent plastic, said sheets being superimposed one on the other in a generally contiguous relationship and collectively having a pair of opposite edges generally parallel to each other, a pair of elongated strips of magnetic material each having a recess longitudinally formed therein of a width approximately the combined thickness of said sheets of film-like material for receiving one of said pair of opposite edges in a mating tongue and groove connection, and means for fixing each of said opposite edges in the recess of the mating elongated strip, said sheets of material being responsive to the application of manually applied transversely directed force on the elongated strips in the general plane of the sheets of material for springing open and separating one sheet from the other at a generally central position between said opposite edges to form an open-ended document-receiving pocket between the sheets, said sheets being responsive to the releasing of the force on said strips for returning to the superimposed generally contiguous relationship to frictionally retain a document therebetween.
 3. A document holder as defined in claim 2 wherein said magnetic strips are formed of flexible magnetic material for forming and holding said document holder to an arcuate surface.
 4. A document holder as defined in claim 2 wherein said two sheets of transparent plastic material are placed back-to-back to form a reversible document holder. 